Cyber war escalates: Pakistani hackers 'take revenge'

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A cable show might get 100,000 viewers. Compare that to a small group of YouTube celebrities like Shane Dawson who gets over a million online views a daily. Brands have begun to realize that YouTube celebrities get more views than they do. The next step is to leverage those audiences.
I spoke to Ricky Ray Butler, the owner of Plaid Marketing, about a campaign that his company is doing for Just Dance 2, a game for the Wii. Plaid Video put together a plan to leverage YouTube celebs by challenging six of them to stage a dance off. Competitors include: Tobuscus, Michael Buckley, JoeNation, Swift Karate Chop, thefinebros and Olga Kay.
They posted their dances on YouTube and asked their fans to vote for them. To vote, the fans had to go to the Just Dance Facebook Page and “Like” the page. Naturally, this campaign sent a lot of YouTube traffic over to the brand’s Facebook Page.
The strategy has been effective. Just Dance’s Facebook Page had less than 3,000 fans in August and are up to almost 185,000 today. 60,000 of those are from the last two weeks. The campaign also included offline dance contests in places like Times Square, as well as a team of bloggers they’ve dubbed UbiChamps, and a popular dance booth at BlogHer.
The celebs have a larger following than the brand, but it’s not just "views" that brands are after -- they want to build their own fan base. Retention and interaction are key to the success of the campaign. “We help brands not only get a lot of views, but we help them grow a following similar to a YouTube celebrity. Then they go to Facebook and become fans. That sets up a longer term relationship for the brand,” said Butler.
It’s working. AdWeek reported that GE tapped 15 YouTubers to make a series of videos for their "Tag Your Green" campaign. Three weeks later, the videos had over 12 million views.
Carl’s Jr tapped nine YouTube celebs including iJustine to launch their new Portobello Mushroom burger. The list goes on and on (see this Mashable post about about five brands that have successfully marketed on YouTube).
As for small businesses, the $20k price tag that some of the stars command can be a bit steep. So businesses without a big budget, like Original Skateboards, went the DIY route, starring in their own videos. After putting their videos on YouTube, sales at the company went up 40 percent. They decided the numbers made it worth it to set up a team to create videos full time.
Orabrush turned Austin Craig into “the Orabrush guy” and the videos he stars in put the small business on the map. It turned a new company that couldn’t turn a profit with an infomercial into a company doing $1 million in sales. Their online success has recently exploded into offline media coverage, starting with an article in the New York Times. That coverage has led to shelf space -- more stores are stocking the tongue scraper.
There's a little more to it than creating a killer video and telling your friends, though. Note that with most “viral” videos, you need to give them a push. The market is crowded. YouTube says that as of October they get 35 hours of video uploaded per minute on the site. Original Skateboards says they use a combination of promoted videos (YouTube advertising), print ads, Google AdWords and word of mouth to grow viewership.
Perhaps the most powerful element of YouTube marketing besides personality is connecting to a community and interacting with them. People loved how the Old Spice Guy responded to their comments in his videos and that helped fuel even more word of mouth.
Next New Networks gave some great advice on its YouTube blog that can be applied to any social media campaign. “YouTube is a social platform. Your audience wants to talk to you. Ask them questions. Get opinions and then feature them in your videos. You are leading a conversation.”
Q: I'd like to ask a philosophical question: I have been trying to get my business off the ground, and I often feel that I have to get very aggressive with suppliers and service providers. I hate being aggressive, but I hate it more when my success (and survival) is hampered by others who don't perform as they should.
I have come to believe that only very aggressive people get ahead. Yet I look at you and wonder: Are you aggressive in business or do you have a technique that serves you well while keeping your composure when faced with trying situations? I once met you and found you to be very friendly and relatively soft-spoken.
-Marco, South Africa
A: Thanks, Marco -- a nice set of easy questions to start off with!
Take the one about aggression. There are many ways to get your point across and make your business successful without being aggressive. Always remember that you love what you do and your role is to persuade others to love your business, too, and, therefore, to want to work with you.
I hope we are successful at Virgin because we engage with everyone in a positive, inclusive manner rather than in an aggressive, combative or negative way.
If the companies or individuals you deal with do not respond to a positive approach, ask yourself if they are the companies you should work with. For every aggressive supplier out there, there are another five that will want to work with you -- in a way that allows you and your business to be true to a more inclusive and positive partnership.
The tone of your question suggests that not knowing how to deal with under-performing staff causes you a lot of stress. If a member of your team is not performing as you expect, don't write him or her off immediately. At Virgin, if an employee is not doing well in one area, I feel that he or she should be given the opportunity to try out in a different Virgin job.
Firing people should never be your first option. In some cases, when letting people go is your only option, prepare for the conversation with constructive suggestions about why it is not working out and other ideas the employee should pursue. That will help make the process easier for both of you.
I agree that a strong personality is a great asset when starting up your business. So is confidence to follow a vision. But listening to others and the art of delegation are key skills to add to the mix.
It's often hard to get past your own feelings of frustration when dealing with others. Delegating to a member of your team brings a fresh pair of eyes and often a different approach and perspective.
One of my key lessons over the years has been to surround myself with great management teams who complement me and ensure that we have the all-around skills to make our businesses succeed. Our chief executives at Virgin Group and businesses like Active, America, Atlantic, Trains and Money have built strong businesses blending their personalities and skills on top of the Virgin culture I helped found.
As for negotiation: The key is to remain calm and collected. If you are getting angry, take a deep breath, realize you are taking it too personally and, even, take a step back. Rely on those around you to help you out. Teamwork can often win.
You can negotiate competitively without aggression. Understand what you want to achieve and what leverage you possess to help you reach your goals. Less aggression and more determination is what you need.
I often find, after a tough set of talks, that it is helpful to go out for a drink or two to get it off your chest! You may have a sore head in the morning, but relying on and confiding in your team will often help you put everything in perspective.
As entrepreneurs we have to make tough calls. You ask if this requires a ruthless streak. I don't think I'm ruthless (although a few people who don't really know me and have never met me have portrayed me that way!). Actually, it is counterproductive to be ruthless. People tend to come back and do more business if they feel they have done well with you. That attitude has helped me over the years to attract and keep good partners and staff.
My ability to listen to other people and accept it when their suggestions are better than mine has been useful during my 40 years in business. I'm never too proud to admit I'm wrong or take action when others' suggestions are better.
My last suggestion is: Remember to have fun. There is no point in being in business if it is not fun. Have fun with your team, your suppliers and the companies you work with. It is so much more rewarding to build up rapport than to find yourself in a constant battle. Don't take everything so personally. Let your hair down now and again. And have some fun. Look at me -- it's a philosophy that has served me well for 40 years!
The controversy over raising tuition fees in England to £9,000 per year is due to reach its climax, with a vote by MPs and plans for student protests.
The coalition government, facing its first major rebellion, wants to limit the scale of backbench opposition to plans to almost treble fees.
More than a dozen Liberal Democrat MPs are expected to vote against the move.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Simon Hughes has said he will abstain or even rebel against the government.
The vote in the House of Commons on far-reaching changes to higher education funding will be the culmination of weeks of political divisions and student protests.
Concessions offeredLiberal Democrat MPs have been under intense pressure - after their election pledge to vote against any fee increase.
Party leader Nick Clegg, who has become a target for student anger, has said that all Lib Dem ministers will vote in favour of the plan to raise fees.
Meanwhile his own party's youth wing is holding last-ditch talks to persuade Lib Dem MPs to vote against the fee rise.
In an attempt to bolster support, ministers announced further concessions on repayment thresholds which would make the fee package more generous to students.
However, Mr Hughes said: "I have a duty to listen to my local party members and my supporters in my constituency, and they have asked me, on this occasion, to rebel against and break the coalition agreement.
"They believe that's important for our community and important given where the Liberal Party traditionally has been against tuition fees."
Labour and Conservative leaders clashed angrily over the fees proposals.
David Cameron accused the Labour party of "rank hypocrisy" for opposing the rise in fees - while Ed Miliband said the university plans were in "chaos".
The package of measures would see fees rising to an upper limit of £9,000 per year - with requirements for universities to protect access for poorer students if they charge more than £6,000 per year.
College occupationsThe proposals to raise fees have triggered a wave of student and school pupil protests, with a march last month leading to an attack on the Conservative headquarters in Millbank.
Dozens of universities have been occupied by students - with students in five more universities occupying buildings this week.
For the first time, there have also been occupations of schools by pupils.
Students are threatening to "shut down London" in a day of protests.
Aaron Porter, president of the National Union of Students, urged MPs to "do the honourable thing and vote down these damaging proposals".
"Students are now descending on Westminster to ensure that promises to voters are kept and they are not sold down the river," said Mr Porter.
As well as protests planned by the NUS, there are radical groups planning demonstrations, with "flashmobs" organised on social networking websites.
There has been no consensus within the university sector about the fees deal.
The university lecturers' union has backed student protesters - while university vice chancellors have been split over whether to support or oppose the fees plan.
The proposals to raise fees would apply to students in England. Welsh students will not pay the higher rate of fees, even at universities in England. In Scotland there are no tuition fees - and Northern Ireland has still to decide how it will respond to any fee rise in England.
Nokia 888 is a concept mobile phone , with a bracelet-like design that has never been endorsed by Nokia. This mobile phone concept has been designed by the industrial designer Tamer Nakisci and won the Benelux design contest in 2005. Three years have passed since the award and still no mobile phone company has put it in practice.
The phone has an amazing design , you can fold it in many ways according to your needs. You can wear it as a bracelet , roll it , bend it and wear it as a clip on your clothes. It is amazing how fun this mobile can be.
Nokia 888 Concept is mostly targeted to teenagers that are very active and take place in a lot of different activities.
Cucumber is a fruit that came from the same family as pumpkin, zucchini and other squashes. It has a dark green rind and white succulent flesh. There are 2 types of cucumbers the pickling varieties and the slicing varieties. The pickling variety is relatively small (2 - 4 inches long).
Nutritive Values : Per 100 gm.
Reported Health Benefits :
"[To] keep our sources safe, we have had to spread assets, encrypt everything, and move telecommunications and people around the world to activate protective laws in different national jurisdictions - Julian Assange
Australia's foreign minister has said the US is to blame for the release of thousands of diplomatic cables on Wikileaks, not its Australian founder, Julian Assange.
Kevin Rudd said the release raised questions about US security.
Mr Rudd said he did not "give a damn" about criticism of him in the cables.
Mr Assange, arrested in the UK over sex crime allegations in Sweden, has accused the Australian government of "disgraceful pandering" to the US.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard had earlier called Mr Assange's release of the cables "grossly irresponsible".
Over the past two weeks, Wikileaks has released thousands of classified messages from US envoys around the world, from more than 250,000 it has been given.
Washington has called their publication "irresponsible" and an "attack on the international community".
'First class job'
In an interview with Reuters news agency, Mr Rudd said: "Mr Assange is not himself responsible for the unauthorised release of 250,000 documents from the US diplomatic communications network. The Americans are responsible for that."
The Australian government has found itself in the anomalous position of offering consular assistance to Julian Assange after his arrest in London, while at the same time being highly critical of his part in leaking sensitive US diplomatic cables.
Julian Assange has written an opinion piece for The Australian newspaper which is scathing in its criticism of the Gillard government, accusing her of "trying to shoot the messenger".
The case of Julian Assange is already drawing comparisons here with the detention of an Australian, David Hicks, at Guantanamo Bay. Hicks, who trained with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, was found guilty of providing material support for terrorism by an American military tribunal. But he became something of a folk hero for many Australians, because of the widespread feeling that he was treated unfairly by the Americans after being detained at Guantanamo Bay without trial.
Mr Rudd, the former prime minister who was replaced by Julia Gillard in June, added: "I think there are real questions to be asked about the adequacy of [the US] security systems and the level of access that people have had to that material.
"The core responsibility, and therefore legal liability, goes to those individuals responsible for that initial unauthorised release."
The White House has ordered US government agencies to tighten their handling of classified documents in the wake of the Wikileaks releases.
Mr Rudd was dismissed in one leaked US cable as a "mistake-prone control freak".
In cables published by the Sydney Morning Herald former US ambassador Robert McCallum said Mr Rudd made "snap announcements without consulting other countries or within the Australian government".
The US was also angered at what it called Mr Rudd's "self-serving and inaccurate leaking" of a phone call with then US President George W Bush in which Mr Rudd was reported as saying: "Stunned to hear Bush say, 'What's the G20?'"
Mr Rudd shrugged off the criticism, saying: "I'm sure much worse has been written about me in the past and probably much worse will be written about me in the future but frankly, mate, I don't care.
"My job's just to act in Australia's national interest as Australia's foreign minister. I don't, frankly, give a damn about this sort of thing. You just get on with it."
Ms Gillard defended Mr Rudd, saying: "He's bringing [his] expertise to bear for the Australian nation and doing an absolutely first class job."
Mr Assange has been highly critical of the Australian government's stance on the release of the cables.
In an opinion piece in The Australian on Wednesday, Mr Assange accused the Australian government of "disgraceful pandering" to the Americans and of putting the powers of the government fully at the disposal of the US.
In the piece headlined "Don't shoot the messenger for revealing uncomfortable truths", he says: "Democratic societies need a strong media and Wikileaks is part of that media. The media helps keep government honest."
He adds: "The Australian attorney-general is doing everything he can to help a US investigation clearly directed at framing Australian citizens and shipping them to the US."
Mr Assange has been refused bail by a court in London but has vowed to fight extradition to Sweden.
He denies sexually assaulting two women in Sweden but was remanded in custody pending a hearing next week.
Mr Assange's lawyer, Mark Stephens, has claimed the charges are "politically motivated".
On a visit to Serbia on Wednesday, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said there had been no contact with US authorities about the possible extradition of Mr Assange from Sweden to the US.
The US has begun a criminal investigation and vowed to punish anyone found responsible for illegal leaks.
No-one has been charged with passing the diplomatic files to Wikileaks, but suspicion has fallen on US Army private Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst arrested in Iraq in June and charged over an earlier leak.
Internet hacktivists are claiming to have brought down the Mastercard website as revenge for the firm withdrawing services to Wikileaks.
The Anonymous group of hackers have also brought down the website of the Swedish prosecutors office which is pursuing founder Julian Assange.
It has pledged to launch denial-of-service attacks on websites it sees as anti-Wikileaks.
Earlier it hit the Swiss bank that froze Mr Assange's assets.
PayPal, which has stopped processing donations to Wikileaks, has also been targetted.
Anonymous is a loose-knit group of hacktivists, with links to the notorious message board 4chan.
"We are glad to tell you that Mastercard is down and it's confirmed," the group tweeted.
Mastercard has not yet confirmed the attack but security experts have said the site has been under a so-called distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS), which swamp a site with so many requests that it becomes overwhelmed,
However, access appears to be possible intermittently and it is still visible from some countries, experts say.
Earlier the group confimed other targets: "In response to the arrest of Julian Assange, Anoynmous has taken down PostFinance.ch, who terminated Wikileaks bank account, using a distributed denial-of-service attack. Subsequently, Anonymous attacked http://www.aklagare.se, the Swedish Prosecutors office, also using a DDoS attack, and took the site down in under 10 seconds of beginning the attack," the group said in a statement.
Noa Bar Yosef, a senior analyst at security firm Imperva said the attacks are "very focused".
"It is recruiting people from within their own network. They are actually asking supporters to download a piece of code, the DDosing malware and upon a wake-up call the computer engages in the denial of service," he said.
Sticking a finger into Microsoft's largest business, Google said Tuesday it will start testing netbooks that run its competing operating system, Chrome OS.
While Microsoft dominates the operating-system market with Windows, Google's announcement represents the intensifying rivalry between the two tech giants.
The announcement of the pilot program came at a news event in San Francisco, with Google saying people could start signing up to test netbooks loaded with the operating system.
The netbooks are built for a networked world with the expectation that these computers will be continually connected to the Internet.
The devices lack hard drives, so the only applications they can run must be Web-based. People would also have to store their files on the Web instead of the computer.
The trade-off, Google says, is the netbook runs much faster without a hard drive.
"When you play with it and hopefully use it every day, you will realize it does in fact work," Eric Schmidt, Google's chief executive, said at the news conference.
The operating system looks very similar to Google's browser, called Chrome without the OS suffix.
The netbook startup screen looks like the browser startup page.
The pilot device, called Cr-48, will have a 12.1-inch screen, come with a Verizon 3G wireless plan free for the first 100 megabytes and have eight hours of battery life.
The keyboard is full-size but will not have function or caps-lock keys, to respect the etiquette of the Web, said Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management for Google Chrome.
Google did not say how much the devices will cost when they start selling.
Related
WikiLeaks founder arrested in London, threatens to release most sensitive documents
The 39-year-old Australian, Julian Paul Assange, founder of the controversial Internet website WikiLeaks was arrested by British police authorities on the strength of a European warrant of arrest. Assange was accused by Swedish authorities with one count of rape, two counts of sexual molestation, and one count of unlawful coercion which were allegedly committed sometime in August 2010.
Assange vehemently denied these accusations, said Mark Stephens, his London-based lawyer, alleging that the case was stemmed from a dispute over consensual but unprotected sex with two women. One of the women was quoted as saying that it was indeed a consensual sex but it all ended with abuse. She denied the claims of Assange’s lawyers that the case was orchestrated by the Pentagon.
Stephens on the other hand accused that the case lodged by the Swedish government was orchestrated by Pentagon who he believes is the “unseen hand” trying to pin down his client purposely as a repressive move to contain further leaking of U.S. sensitive documents that had been perceived will affect the national security interest of the United States.
Another London-based lawyer of Assange, Jennifer Robinson, said that her client would likely resist extradition move by the Swedish authorities because she believes he would be turned over to the U.S. government who had been outraged because of the recent publication of the so-called sensitive documents through the Internet.
On the other hand, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was disheartened by the action of one of her constituent saying that the posting on the web of the U.S. diplomatic cables was grossly an irresponsible action. She underscored that the publication of the said classified documents would not have been possible if there was no illegal act committed by Assange.
The Wikileaks founder responded in a written opinion published by an Australian newspaper by saying that her government is trying to stop him from leaking the documents because it doesn’t like him to reveal the truth. He blamed the Australian government that it has no interest of defending him and other WikiLeaks personnel against the many public threats of violence. He expected that the Australian government would be defending one of her citizens but it all boiled down to a wholly unsubstantiated accusation of illegality.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government is now putting intense pressure on WikiLeaks and to those people helping it by presently conducting intensive investigations to determine the culpability of Assange and his associates of possible prosecution under the U.S. Espionage Law.
It was reported also that the website is now under heightened hackers’ attack and struggling to stay online amid pressure from world governments. It has been receiving assistance from computer-savvy advocates by setting up hundreds of the same kind of websites all over the world.
Meantime, Assange warned that when arrest will be effected on WikiLeaks staff, the heavily encrypted version of his most important documents will be instantly made public.